Where Was Emancipation Filmed? Will Smith’s Rousing Action Drama Film!!

Are you in the mood to watch an intense action film this week? Then follow this article to know all about the rousing movie, Emancipation, starring Will Smith in the lead role. Furthermore, I’ll let you in on where was Emancipation filmed.

The American action drama flick, Emancipation became an instantaneous hit, upon its release last year. Antoine Fuqua, was at the helm of affairs, who reportedly took inspiration from the horrid and true events, which took place in America during the mid 19th century. William N. Collage joined this project as the sole screenwriter. Collage, masterfully presented the horrific events which prevailed in the southern states of America, after Abraham Lincoln declared an end to slavery.

The basic premise of Emancipation centers around the character of Peter, an African-American slave, who somehow escapes from the grasp of racist American family. The plot gets interesting when Peter has to deal with a number of challenges, before being liberated.

Emancipation earned multiple nominations, and bagged 2 major awards, since its release in 2022. However, the makers of this heart-wrenching film, were expecting it to become an even bigger success. Nonetheless, fans who love watching films based on true events, thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Will in the lead role.

Now, if you’re ready to find out where was Emancipation filmed, then without wasting any time, let’s get started.

Where Was Emancipation Filmed? Let’s Know This Action Drama Film Closely!

The filming of Emancipation wasn’t less than a roller-coaster ride, for the makers! The production members initially decided to shoot this film in Los Angeles. Thus suitable filming locations in and around the Californian city were then scouted by the team.

However, after several weeks, production members had to again scout for different locations around the state of Georgia, as the makers decided to shoot the film in Atlanta. But, when the principal photography was about to commence, Will and Fuqua decided to back out at the 11th hour.

As per the reports, Will came out in public and gave an official statement against the recent changes made by the government of Georgia, which he and Fuqua didn’t conform to. Thus, in an attempt to condemn the political move, the makers of Emancipation decided to shoot their film elsewhere.

Honestly, there came a time, when the production members thought, this project might be delayed indefinitely. But, thankfully, after making some moves and pulling a few strings here and there, the production team eventually decided to shoot the film in New Orleans.

The principal photography finally began in the second week of July and was completed by the end of August 2021. But, as the production members had to change the filming locations multiple times, the production lost almost $15 million. 

The filming crew, however, worked hard to stay on top of the revised filming dates, and eventually finished shooting within the estimated timeline. Now, without stalling any longer, let’s discuss where was Emancipation filmed in detail.

New Orleans, Louisiana | USA

The story of Emancipation was set during the 1860. Thus in order to capture the setting of America, which existed during the same timeline, the makers decided to shoot the majority of the sequences on the outskirts of New Orleans.

So, the opening sequence where we see the  character of Peter living inside the slave quarter, owned by the racist plantation owner of the south, was actually filmed inside a small cabin, constructed by the crew. The production members took no time in constructing the cabin from ground up, and then captured the interior shots.

Other pivotal outdoor sequences of the movie, depicting the character of Peter, struggling to survive around the wilderness, in the movie, were also filmed around the same area of New Orleans. Special lighting equipment had to be used, in order to capture the outdoor sequences of the wild, during the night.

The production members filmed several other outdoor sequences around various sparsely populated areas of New Orleans. But, when 6 members of the crew tested positive for Covid-19, the makers decided to stop filming for a week or so.

Shooting resumed in a Californian city, where the production members captured the remaining scenes inside a well equipped studio.

Now, allow me to give you an overview of Emancipation. Meanwhile you can check out All American Season 5, Babylon and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as well.

Plot Of Emancipation | What’s It About

The story of Emancipation follows the character of Peter, an African-American slave, who gets tortured by his racist owners, on a daily basis. At the beginning of the movie, the hard and miserable life of Peter is depicted, where he gets ill-treated by the southern plantation owners.

But, as the story progresses further, the lead actor musters up the courage to escape from his holding, and find a new life, outside of Louisiana. Peter eventually escapes from his cabin, hoping to make it by himself, but soon runs into a number of challenges. Watch Emancipation to witness the awe-inspiring survival story of an African-American slave, who dared to be free.

Final Words

Ok friends, I hope you enjoyed the read and finally know where was Emancipation filmed. If you’re interested in reading similar pieces, you can also check out other articles on Viebly. Now, if you’d like us to cover any other title, do let us know in the comments section below.